Socioeconomic Adaptation of Post-1991 Eastern European Immigrants in the USA

Abstract

Very little is known about new Eastern European immigrants in the USA, despite the rapid growth of this immigrant population. In particular, their socioeconomic adaptation to American life has not been systematically studied. Extending previous research on post-1965 immigration to the USA, this study examines the socioeconomic adaptation of post-1991 Eastern European immigrants by focusing on their educational attainment, occupational status, and income. We test our hypotheses using data from the pooled 2006–2010 American Community Surveys and ordinary least squares regression and logistic regression. The results show that new Eastern European immigrants tend to be highly educated and professional, but their income is surprisingly low. The results of regression models indicate that the individual characteristics of immigrants largely explain their socioeconomic adaptation. In addition, such conditions in the countries of origin as gross domestic product and political and personal freedom also influence their socioeconomic performance to some extent. The implications of findings are discussed.